Dorset County

Some early morning rain had moistened the ground at Rushmore Park as we kicked off the County U14 2012 season with a friendly against Wiltshire. The same fixture last year saw Dorset go down 9 1/2 points to 2 1/2, so we were keen to see how this year’s team would fair against the opposition. The signs of a possible early summer had certainly not reached Wiltshire, with a bitingly cold wind adding an extra variable to the competition.

Captain George Davis and Vice Captain George Carroll lead off the morning Foursomes, and given this round was to be played over only 8 holes it was important that an early lead was established, and then kept. Across all of the subsequent macthes, Dorset had generally established a lead by hole 5, and it was a matter of holding the nerves to close out the Foursomes round, which was duely achieved giving Dorset a morning victory or 4 points to nil. A great start, but the boys were warned how quickly things can turn in the afternoon session.
After much-needed sandwiches and chips, the singles got underway with both teams fielding in handicap order. A series of very impressive drives rattled down the first from both teams, and the concentration level of the opposition had certainly increased.

For the most part, the front 9 in all matches were cut and thrust, with the lead changing hands a few times, but as the matches moved into the as-yet-unplayed back 9, Dorset seemed to grab the bull by the hornes and start to move the matches in their favour.

A battling George Carroll was lacking his great recent form, going down 7/6.  George Davis, Max Bale, Dominic Dunstan, Adam Harris and Ben Small all put some distance between them and their Wilts counter-part, and successfully brought their matches to conclusion. Sam Russell was in a great battle which was all-square as both boys stood on the 18th Tee, but a slightly pushed drive from Sam gave his opponent the advantage, which he responded to, grabbing a point from Dorset. Steffen Foley was also in a battle in the final match, although he had the advantage of being 1 up standing on the 18th Tee. His opponent, feeling the pressure, promptly put 2 drives into OOB on the left, leaving Steffen to safely and sensibly guide his ball up towards the 18th green watched by the awaiting Dorset team. Steffen’s opponent offered out his hand in defeat to close out an impressive overall 10-2 Dorset victory.

Burgers and chips ensued to refuel everyone. George Davis thanked Wiltshire for hosting the event and wished them a successful season. All matches were played in great spirit with a very friendly bunch of lads from Wiltshire; it was great to see.

We move on to our next pre-season friendly against Hampshire at Bramshaw Golf Club on April 12th with a field of 10 Dorset boys. The Hampshire fixture is always a battle, so the Dorset boys are looking forward to that challenge.

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